Tableware
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Tableware
Crystal
Late 19th Century French Japonisme Antique Tableware
Ceramic
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century German Antique Tableware
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Tableware
Brass
20th Century Danish Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s British Vintage Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
1990s Italian Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century English Tableware
Porcelain
1860s German Antique Tableware
Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Clay
Early 20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Tableware
Silver
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Other
1960s Danish Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
19th Century French Antique Tableware
Majolica
1980s German Vintage Tableware
Porcelain
20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century European Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Tableware
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Teak, Glass
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Tableware
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century British Victorian Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Stoneware
1970s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
18th Century German Rococo Antique Tableware
Porcelain
1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Ceramic
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Art Nouveau Tableware
Silver
1840s French Art Deco Antique Tableware
Wool, Silk
20th Century German Brutalist Tableware
Metal
1890s French Antique Tableware
Gold, Enamel
1910s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Tableware
Cotton, Linen
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Tableware
Cotton, Linen
1940s Renaissance Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
20th Century Swedish Mid-Century Modern Tableware
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Sterling Silver
1880s British Victorian Antique Tableware
Sterling Silver
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Tableware
Early 1900s Victorian Antique Tableware
Silver Plate
2010s Mexican American Colonial Tableware
Clay
1920s Danish Vintage Tableware
Silver
Mid-20th Century Tableware
Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Tableware
Ceramic
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tableware
Brass
Antique and Vintage Tableware
While it isn’t always top of mind for some, antique and vintage tableware can enhance even the most informal meal. It has been an intimate part of how we’ve interacted with our food for millennia.
Tableware has played a basic but important role in everyday life. Ancient Egyptians used spoons (which are classified as flatware) made of ivory and wood, while Greeks and Romans, who gathered for banquets involving big meals and entertainment, ate with forks and knives. At the beginning of the 17th century, however, forks were still uncommon in American homes. Over time, tableware has thankfully evolved and today includes increasingly valuable implements.
Tableware refers to the tools people use to set the table, including serving pieces, dinner plates and more. It encompasses everything from the intricate and elaborate to the austere and functional, yet are all what industrial product designer Jasper Morrison might call “Super Normal” — anonymous objects that are too useful to be considered banal.
There are four general categories of tableware — serveware, dinnerware, drinkware and, lastly, flatware, which is commonly referred to as silverware or cutlery. Serveware includes serving bowls, platters, gravy boats, casserole pans and ladles. Most tableware is practical, but it can also be decorative. And decorative objects count as tableware too. Even though they don’t fit squarely into one of the four categories, vases, statues and floral arrangements are traditional centerpieces.
Drinkware appropriately refers to the vessels we use for our beverages — mugs, cups and glasses. There is a good deal of variety that falls under this broad term. For example, your cheerful home bar or mid-century modern bar cart might be outfitted with a full range of vintage barware, which might include pilsner glasses and tumblers. Specialty cocktails are often served in these custom glasses, but they’re still a type of drinkware.
Every meal should be special — even if you’re using earthenware or stoneware for a casual lunch — but perhaps you’re hosting a dinner party to mark a specific event. The right high-quality tableware can bring a touch of luxury to your cuisine. Young couples, for example, traditionally add “fine china,” or porcelain, to their wedding registry as a commemoration of their union and likely wouldn’t turn down exquisite silver made by Tiffany & Co. or Georg Jensen.
It’s important to remember, however, that when you’re setting the dining room table to have fun with it. Just as you might mix and match your dining chairs, don’t be afraid to mix new and old or high and low with your tableware. On 1stDibs, find an extraordinary range of vintage and antique tableware to help elevate your meal as well as the mood and atmosphere of your entire dining room.
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